Test championship proposal in England could divert attention from Ashes series in 2013

The Champions Trophy could be replaced by a Test championship in 2013 to be
held in England. The 50-over tournament has struggled to carve out a
separate identity from the World Cup and with growing calls to give Test
cricket more context the International Cricket Council will consider at its
next chief executives meeting plans for a new championship.

The Champions Trophy could be replaced by a Test championship in 2013 to be held in England. The 50-over tournament has struggled to carve out a separate identity from the World Cup and with growing calls to give Test cricket more context the International Cricket Council will consider at its next chief executives meeting plans for a new championship.

It is likely to feature the top four teams in the current ICC rankings, England are currently fifth, and will feature a semi-final and a final at Lord’s. The initial thought is to hold it in England, where Test cricket is more popular than in any other country, with India a second venue in 2017.

The problem with holding it in England in 2013 is that it could potentially divert attention away from an Ashes series which takes place later that summer.

It could also swell the number of Test matches in England in 2013 to 12, including warm-up matches for the four teams, making it the busiest summer in English cricket history.

“Fitting a championship around the future tours programme is probably not sufficient but is a step in the right direction,” said Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association. “We would like to see a more radical shake up of the Test schedule because there is more and more cricket being jammed into the calendar.”

The PCA will liaise with Reg Dickason, the England team’s security officer, before deciding whether or not to advise the players it is safe to play for an ICC World XI which is expected to play in Pakistan next year. Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, last week revealed plans to send a World XI to Pakistan, the first team to visit the country since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan side in 2009.

The New Zealand board added their weight to the moves by offering to send their team to Pakistan to play to raise money for the flood relief fund.